Latest news with #MoretonBay
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Travel + Leisure
4 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
It's a Record-breaking Year at the 'Humpback Highway'—With Over 45,000 Whales Expected
Each year, as temperatures drop in Antarctica, a great migration begins. Tens of thousands of humpback whales—more than 45,000 by some estimates—set off on an epic 6,200-mile journey north that runs along Australia's east coast. They are bound for warm tropical waters where they breed and calve before taking the same route back to the Southern Ocean. Locals call it the Humpback Highway, and from June through November, it offers one of the world's most reliable and awe-inspiring whale-watching experiences. At the heart of the spectacle is Moreton Bay, a protected stretch of water just offshore Brisbane that the whales pass through. The migration reaches its peak in August, when larger pods appear and there is a surge in social behavior: tail slapping, pectoral waving, and the unmistakable breach. This year, the outlook is especially promising. Sightings are already up, and with the humpback whale population increasing, some skippers are predicting it could be the most active season yet. For travelers, access couldn't be easier. Brisbane is one of the only major cities in the world where you can leave your hotel after breakfast and be scanning the ocean for whales by midmorning—no long drives or complicated transfers required. Tour companies like Brisbane Whale Watching pick up guests 40 minutes north of the city and boast a whale-sighting guarantee. For larger groups, or a small, VIP experience, Sovereign Lady Charters has a 74-foot private-use yacht that fits up to 35 guests and departs 30 minutes east of downtown Brisbane. You might also be able to glimpse the massive migration by taking a ferry to North Stradbroke Island in Moreton Bay and watching from. Cape Moreton on Moreton Island is another land-based viewing point. To reach the cape, take a ferry to Moreton Island and walk the Cape Moreton track to the Cape Moreton Lighthouse, Queensland's only stone lighthouse. It is a great place to catch the Humpback Highway as it passes by the shores of the island. Not all whale watching requires a boat. North Stradbroke Island (known to locals as 'Straddie') is reachable by ferry and offers commanding views from Point Lookout, a clifftop path where whales can often be seen breaching just offshore. For something even wilder, head to Moreton Island, a national park of towering sand dunes and quiet beaches. From the ferry landing, hike the Cape Moreton Track to the historic Cape Moreton Lighthouse (the only stone lighthouse in Queensland) and take in sweeping views of the Pacific. Whale season off the coast of Brisbane runs from June to November and peaks in August. According to new research from Griffith University, Moreton Bay is becoming more than just a migratory corridor—it's now a key resting and nursing zone for mother whales and their calves on their return journey south.
News.com.au
23-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Dirt poor: Block of land now costs $700k in Olympic city
The average price of land in South East Queensland has risen a staggering 17 per cent in the past year to hit a record high of $1000 a square metre as supply hits its lowest level in a decade, new figures show. Brisbane's median land price is now $1623/sqm or $702,000, overtaking Melbourne to become Australia's second-most expensive capital city for land behind Sydney. It comes as a 600 sqm vacant block of residential land in suburban Brisbane just sold for a staggering $2.38m. But affordability constraints in Brisbane are also flowing into regional areas, leading to a spike in land prices in markets outside of the Queensland capital, according to another land price report. RPM Group's South-East Queensland Greenfield Market report for June reveals land prices in the typically affordable regions of Ipswich are up 33 per cent to $1,086/sqm and Moreton Bay 14 per cent to $1,100/sqm. A 483 sqm block of vacant land in the new Ipswich suburb of White Rock recently sold for $515,000. MORE: Why 'Onion House' could be the cheapest in southeast Qld Toowoomba posted the biggest percentage gain over the past year — up 63 per cent to $603 per square metre. The report warns the problem is compounded by a weak supply pipeline with just over 8000 vacant land lots registered across the region in the year to March, with most growth areas running on less than a month's stock. It also suggests infrastructure and planning complexities are adding to the supply problem and this is likely to be exacerbated by a shortage of trades resources being deployed to build Olympic Games infrastructure. MORE: Massive corner block home sold for $15m in the dead of winter RPM's Queensland and New South Wales managing director Clinton Trezise said population growth and buyer demand had driven the surge in prices over the past year. 'This has pushed property prices beyond the grasp of many buyers, especially in Brisbane,' Mr Trezise said. 'Land developers report that they are struggling to get projects over the line due to infrastructure and planning complexities, leading to fewer active estates constraining land supply. 'This highlights a clear, critical need for faster planning approvals and infrastructure investment to unlock development-ready land and keep pace with future housing demand.' In the Brisbane suburb of Camp Hill, Denis Najzar of Place Woolloongabba recently sold a 599 sqm block of land in Watson Street for $2.385m — a record for the suburb. Mr Najzar said the property attracted seven registered bidders at auction before selling to a local builder. Next door, a newly completed house is on the market, attracting offers over $5m. 'Watson would be in the top three streets in Camp Hill, but having a nice residence on the left hand side did help as well,' Mr Najzar said. 'What's happening with Brisbane is we have never experienced this sort of market —which Melbourne and Sydney would have — where the market continues to go up in value because of the influx of people coming in. 'Brisbane has become an international city, and we have to come to terms that as the population grows, this will keep happening. I just feel like housing is needed, we're getting people coming from Victoria, from New Zealand, from overseas, with money and they're looking for a lifestyle, access to schools, and quality houses. 'They're prepared to pay $1m more than what something sold for three doors down if they see value.'
News.com.au
22-07-2025
- News.com.au
Former school captain facing alleged schoolies rape charges
A former captain at a prestigious Queensland school has been charged with sexually assaulting a young male during schoolies last year. Paramedic student Lucas James Want, 18, faces two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault over the alleged incidents in November 2024. He has not entered a plea to the charges. Mr Want attended Grace Lutheran College Rothwell, at Moreton Bay, and was appointed faith and service captain in Year 12. He was now studying to be a paramedic at Queensland University of Technology. The teenager was arrested in the suburb of Margate on November 22, 2024. His matter was mentioned at Gympie Magistrates Court where his lawyer asked for access to the complainant's Cellebrite phone download. Ashton Marini, the solicitor for Mr Want, also asked for QPRIME records of police interactions with witnesses in the case. Mr Marini told the court this evidence was 'potentially relevant' to the allegations, the Courier Mail reports. Prosecutor Melissa Campbell objected to the requests, labelling them a 'fishing expedition'. 'What right does my friend (the opposing lawyer) have to see a conversation between a juvenile and their mother from five years ago?' she said. 'It's not relevant to this matter before the court.' Magistrate Bevan Hughes ordered the phone data be handed over to Mr Want's legal team but denied the QPRIME documents. The matter was adjourned to October 13.
ABC News
08-07-2025
- ABC News
City of Moreton Bay claims homeless people consented to having camps thrown away
A Queensland council says homeless campers "consented" to having their tents destroyed and possessions thrown into rubbish trucks during the clearing of a park used by rough sleepers. The City of Moreton Bay denied destroying people's property and said it only removed "unwanted items" from camps that had been "abandoned" by their owners. It comes after the council made homeless camping illegal on public land in March, prompting a crackdown on tent cities in April. Former homeless woman Debbie Bobeldyk said she had not left her camp willingly, nor had she consented to the council throwing out her personal belongings. She said the council threw away an urn containing her daughter's ashes, her fridge, portable air conditioner and several fences. The 58-year-old was one of the homeless campers who left Eddie Hyland Park in April after the council threatened her with a maximum fine of $8,065 if she stayed. Ms Bobeldyk said council officers gave her and her husband, John, one hour to collect what belongings they could before officers demolished their tent site with an excavator. "We couldn't pack everything up in that time, I could hardly breathe because of the panic, we could hardly get any of it," Ms Bobeldyk said. "We never gave them permission. A council spokesperson said it took a sensitive and empathetic approach to homeless campers. "City of Moreton Bay maintains a compassionate approach and supports rough sleepers to gather their personal items," the spokesperson said. "Council officers provide rough sleepers with bags for them to store and retain items such as clothing, medication and toiletries. "Council collects items identified as waste by rough sleepers and items that have been abandoned at campsites." The spokesperson said the council might also take items and hold them for 20 days for homeless people to collect. Homeless man Karl Eichin said he was evicted from his camp at Sweeney Reserve in April, and had not left of his own free will. The 43-year-old said he felt "intimidated" into leaving by a group of about eight council and police officers. Mr Eichin moved to a council-owned bush reserve in Kallangur. He is one of 11 homeless campers in Kallangur being represented by human rights lawyers in a Supreme Court case against the City of Moreton Bay. Mr Eichin said he did not want to live in a tent in Kallangur, but he had not been offered social housing. "I've been on the waiting list for years. I've had to go back and forth with [the Department of] Housing, but there are just so many people." The latest state government figures show that, as of March, there were 5,493 people on the social housing waiting list in the City of Moreton Bay — the highest in the region's history. The number of people on the Moreton Bay waiting list has more than doubled since 2018.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
An enticing round door in a coastal Aussie suburb marks the entrance to a spectacular home quite unlike anything nearby: 'It's paradise'
A few blocks back from the breezy foreshore in a coastal Queensland suburb stands Lantern - a four-bedroom home that's a far cry from the sleepy beach cottages surrounding it. Designed by architect Nicholas Elias - better known for state infrastructure and cultural buildings than residential design - the home in Redcliffe, Moreton Bay, is a one-off in every sense. While the build draws inspiration from traditional Queenslander houses, raised for airflow and expansion, Lantern reinterprets that logic for a new era of 'sustainability, slow living, and local craftsmanship'. It's built to last - not just materially, but emotionally. 'Lantern's brief was to offer a fresh take on the Queensland tradition of raising a house, building underneath, and extending out the back,' owner Hayden Kidd told FEMAIL. 'We applied that tried-and-true philosophy with modern technology to create a home that's cutting-edge yet crafted with love.' From the street, Lantern is unmissable. Clad in ribbed shiplap milled from native Blackbutt timber, its textures respond to shifting light like skin - soft and matte in the morning, rich and golden by dusk. There's no plasterboard and no concrete slab. Inside, blind-fixed Queensland Walnut veneer lines the walls, creating warmth and cohesion that envelops rather than performs. Underfoot, cork flooring leads to a sunken lounge that opens to the garden. Overhead, etched glass pivot doors filter natural light. 'You feel the space as much as you see it,' Hayden said. 'Natural materials interact with light to shift the mood throughout the day. The house takes on different personalities depending on the time.' Even the bathrooms are immersive: handcrafted Japanese tiles, solid steel pedestal vanities, and soft acoustic fabric panels evoke boutique hotels more than suburbia. But Lantern isn't about luxury for its own sake. Every element - from locally made furniture to endemic landscaping - is placed with purpose. At the heart of the home is a kitchen designed for company, featuring a sculpted booth, garden planters, dual appliance suites, and a hidden scullery. Flowing outward, a natural plunge pool and sunken alfresco lounge extend the living space into the garden without hard boundaries. 'The interiors and garden are so integrated that the entire block feels like living space - which is how we all want to live in this climate,' Hayden said. Step through the round pivot entry door - custom-built and anchored with gallery-worthy precision - and you're immediately enveloped. The foyer opens into a dim, mood-lit space that guests often liken to a Museum of Old and New Art exhibit or a boutique cocktail lounge. With its local materials and hyper-specific details, Lantern is a house that couldn't exist anywhere else. 'Architecture is often seen as trend-driven,' Hayden said. 'But true architecture - and what we've aimed to create - challenges perceptions and enhances how you live.' The build took over five years, partly due to the level of detail, and partly because nearly everything was custom-made by local hands. 'Our tradies initially pushed back against the bold vision,' Hayden admitted. 'But they ended up so proud, they bring their kids over to show what they helped create.' Even the furniture has a story: built by nearby makers using regionally sourced timbers and fittings crafted by local steel fabricators. The entire project was overseen by Redcliffe-based Vanda & Sons Constructions, with a network of south-east Queensland businesses shaping the finished home. That community-minded ethos is part of what makes Lantern feel so rooted in its setting. Redcliffe, 30 kilometres north-east of Brisbane CBD, has long drawn weekenders to its historic jetty, swimming beaches, and café strip. Now, fresh energy is arriving: boutique coffee spots, Saturday markets, and young families seeking bigger backyards. Good schools are minutes away, and the marina keeps boaters happy. Lantern - with its timber ribs and garden-as-living-space - fits perfectly into this evolving landscape, reminding us that coastal homes can honour tradition while embracing the future. 'After living in a place for over 10 years, you gain a wealth of local knowledge to embed into a building's specifics, ultimately creating a beautiful way to live,' Hayden said. Given its detail, deep community ties, and years in the making, it's almost surprising the owners are now parting with Lantern. But for Hayden, the build was never meant to be a one-off - it was just the beginning. 'We've created an iconic home that's truly special - we call it 'living in art'.' 'The area is entering a rapid gentrification phase that will support many more architectural and luxury homes. With the team we've built through Lantern, we're excited to deliver more special homes and positive change for the Redcliffe Peninsula.' For now, the timber glows quietly on Greenup Street - a modern-day Queenslander raised not just on stilts, but on skill, intention, and place.
